Tonka Times Magazine February 2011 : Page 29

Dinner for two is only $40/hour plus the cost of food. Chef Royal will do the shopping, set-up, cooking, serving AND the clean-up. Now that’s my idea of a Valentine’s gift. Tastebud, Chef Royal and TWO Food/Wine/ Design are part of Kitchen in the Market, a shared commercial kitchen space located within the Midtown Global Market, and also offers a range of fun, unique cooking classes. For more information visit www.kitcheninthemarket.com. Gastrotruck 763.607.6055 Formerly the Executive Chef of Cosmos Restaurant at the Graves 601 Hotel, Chef Stephen Trojahn has ventured out on his own to develop Gastrotruck, one of the Twin Cities’ latest entries into the hot food truck scene. If that wasn’t enough to keep him busy, Chef Trojahn offers catering and private chef services for two or 300. For Valentine’s Day, Trojahn suggests a classic menu featuring aphrodisiac items such as oysters, lobster and chocolate. It can either be delivered to you (prices begin at $75 for drop-off service and include heating and plating instructions), or prepared for you following a private cooking class in your home. If an event or party is in your future, consider this: a completely customizable menu with all of your favorite foods. Prices for interactive cooking class with dinner begin at $500. Last but not least, don’t forget dessert. There are a lot of ladies out there (and men too, I’m sure) who would be perfectly content to skip the beef and head straight for the sugar. Muddy Paws Cheesecake (featured on the cover) 763.545.7161 www.muddypawscheesecake.com Owner Tami Cabrera Weinmann knows her cheesecake. A native of Chicago, Weinmann started Muddy Paws simply to appease her craving for the New York style cheesecake she was having trouble finding in Minnesota. 222 flavors and 18 years later, Muddy Paws is a favorite of Twin Cities’ foodies. While chocolate might be ubiquitous with the big V-day, Weinmann suggests a heart-shaped cheesecake — just $32 for a 9” cake (serves 12-16). Or why not be even more creative and order one dozen 2” mini-hearts (assorted flavors) for just $24. That’s 12 bites of rich, silky love. Not only are all Muddy Paws cheesecakes hand-made to order in small batches, but they will also take requests. I’m thinking spicy chipotle maple chocolate ... Organic chicken salad with flame grape, golden tomato gazpacho, Majule date with Stickney Hill goat cheese and smoked pepper (left) by Chef Royal. Photo courtesy of Christopher Lower. Mini heart-shaped cheesecakes in Strawberry swirl, vanilla and chocolate (right) by Muddy Paws Cheesecake. Photo courtesy of James Ramsay Photography. February 2011 Tonka Times.com 29